High Strain Rate Testing of Engineering Thermoplastics for Head Impact Applications

With the recent amendment to FMVSS 201 upper interior components must now absorb the energy imparted during a head impact The necessary redesign of these parts will require a thorough understanding of material behavior under impact conditions. A study was conducted to evaluate several materials at strain rates and temperatures representative of upper interior conditions under head impact The results of this study show that engineering thermoplastics behave more consistently and predictably at higher strain rates than do polyolefins and are much less rate sensitive than the olefinic materials